3 Super Simple Diet and Weight Loss Tips Anyone Can Follow

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Weight loss is the holy grail for so many of us and I’m often left feeling both amazed and depressed in equal measure at how difficult many fitness experts make it seem.

It appears so onerous and unattainable that many people just say “forget it!” and keep doing what they have always been doing. Well, I’m going to share 3 super simple nutrition and weight loss tips you can use to help reach your goals.

1. Eat 5 or 6 Small Meals a Day

This is the ideal and I know it is not always realistic, but let’s think of this as a goal to work up to that we can reach over time.

Most people eat less when trying to lose weight. However, to burn more fat you need to eat more frequently throughout the day.

There is a myth about food, some think that less is better, this is not the case. You see, when you eat one meal a day in the hope of losing weight you are actually putting yourself in a position to gain weight. How? you ask. Well, when you starve yourself, which is basically what you are doing when you eat one meal a day, your body’s natural reaction is to try and protect you.

It will protect you by holding on to as much fat as possible, this is called ‘starvation mode’. It does this so it will not starve to death – hence the term! That’s why eating more will result in you losing weight. When your body doesn’t feel the threat of starvation it will gladly release the extra fat. And the only way you eliminate that threat is by feeding your body every 2 or 3 hours.

Here is an example of what a well-rounded day of 5 meals could look like:

Meal

Food

Breakfast

A bowl of oatmeal or Cream of wheat, with an apple

Morning Snack

Boiled egg

Lunch

Chicken with brown rice and roasted vegetables, Greek salad (easy on the dressing).

Midday Snack

Protein shake with a small handful of almonds and cranberries

Dinner

Salmon fillet with baked potato and broccoli

2. Drink More Water

Water is your best friend when it comes to losing weight. You would be surprised how many calories you are drinking every single day. That soda you drank for lunch, 200 empty calories. That sports drink you had after your workout, 300 empty calories.

With those two drinks, you have already had 500 calories and you haven’t eaten any food. Always think about it in terms of nutritional or non-nutritional. Too many fall into the trap of using energy drinks as a crutch or ‘pick me up’ that they need to get through the day without realizing the adverse effects they are having on their hearts, adrenal glands and waistlines! Do your homework and/comparisons.

Try to drink a glass of water with every meal. Water not only keeps you hydrated and helps you flush out all those unwanted toxins, it also has zero calories which means it won’t add any empty calories to your daily calorie intake. I would suggest drinking soda and other sugary drinks only once or twice a week, if you feel you absolutely have to drink it. Even more reasons why water is vital for weight loss

3. Do Resistance Training

‘Resistance Training’ or ‘weight training’ is another name for exercising your muscles using an opposing force i.e. dumb bells or resistance bands.

Many people are hesitant to engage in some sort of resistance training. I’ve had many women, in particular, tell me that they think it will make them big and bulky like a man. This is completely false. For a woman to get big and bulky like a man she would have to lift extremely heavy weights on a regular basis. And be ingesting a lot of testosterone!

Incorporating resistance training into your fitness routine really helps you tone up and shed body fat. And you can do it anywhere with resistance bands and hand weights if you don’t like the gym. Most individuals would benefit from doing 3 resistance workouts a week in conjunction with regular aerobic or cardio exercise.

Ready to get going?

My 10-Week Lean program gives you a new resistance workout of unique exercises to follow online every week, as well as a personal diet analysis for just $150 CAD.

You’ll be part of an online group on Facebook, all following the program at the same time, helping and motivating each other with ongoing support from me.